Colonialism articles on Democracy Chronicles

European colonialism, or imperialism, began in the 15th century with the "Age of Discovery", led by Portuguese and Spanish exploration of the Americas, and the coasts of Africa, the Middle East, India, and East Asia, eventually covering every nation on the planet. The world experienced colonialism together and today's world has been shaped by this critical period of history. Also see our section on World Democracy and our archive of history articles.

With oil, Gabon has one of the highest GDPs in Africa. But the fact that it is the largest African importer of champagne illustrates that the wealth distribution there basically runs along the lines of the Bongo family versus the Gabonese people.